Wine refrigeration and transport

ABSTRACT

A system and method of transporting wine includes packaging bottles of wine in an insulated container having a cold pack. The containers are transported in an insulated carrier from a winery or warehouse to an intermediate location, such as a warehouse or overnight carrier, and then transported to the intended recipient, such as a residence, a wine wholesaler, or a wine retailer, by uninsulated overnight carrier. The thermal properties of the container are chosen to keep the wine below a target temperature even if the overnight carrier is unsuccessful in delivering the wine on a first try.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to food and beverage technology, and moreparticularly to temperature control and preservation of wine duringtransport.

Wine degrades if subjected to high temperature even for a short period.To prevent degradation, commercial sellers of wine frequently ship wineacross the United States from a winery or warehouse under refrigeration.If the quantity of the shipment is sufficiently large, a dedicatedrefrigerated truck may transport the wine from one refrigerated ortemperature controlled environment to another. Also, custom wineshipments, such as quantities ranging from one bottle to a few cases,from retailers, are often shipped by air. But because shipping by air iscostly, it is limited to expensive products. Moreover, air transportoften has large temperature fluctuations, which may also degrade wine.

Accordingly, it is currently the practice for retailers, such as onlinewine merchants, to suspend shipping wine to private residences duringthe summer months, especially to the southern parts of the UnitedStates, to prevent degradation due to exposure to high temperatures. Thecold chain technology for shipping small quantities of wine, such asbetween one bottle and a few cases (such as two cases), exists, but itis not currently in widespread use because of the high cost. There is aneed for improved cold chain systems and methods to enable inexpensiveand widespread transport of small quantities of wine during summermonths throughout the United States without massive investment in newcold chain infrastructure.

SUMMARY

A packaging system and a corresponding method employ a conventionalrefrigerated truck to transport the packaging system for a first part ofthe trip, then employ a conventional un-refrigerated carrier for thelast part of the trip to the intended recipient.

A method of controlling temperature of a plurality of wine shipmentsduring transport includes: packaging bottled wine in a plurality ofpackaging systems, transporting the plurality of packaging systems by arefrigerated truck to an intermediate location; and after therefrigerated transporting step, transporting the wine in the packagingsystem by un-refrigerated trucks to predetermined end recipients.

Preferably, each packaging system includes (i) a compartment for holdingthe bottled wine, (ii) thermal insulation between the wine bottlecompartment and the ambient atmosphere, and (iii) a cold pack, whereinthe packaging system is adapted to maintain the wine bottle compartmentbetween 40 and 80 degrees F. for up to 72 hours after release fromrelease of the refrigerated container where local temperatures are 110degrees F. or less. Preferably, the packaging system is adapted tomaintain the wine bottle compartment between 45 and 65 degrees F. forbetween 24 and 48 hours. Optimal wine storage temperature is 56 degrees.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an insulated packaging system; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the steps according to a preferred embodimentof the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to an aspect of the present invention, a packaging system 10includes a container 20 and cold pack 30. Referring to FIG. 1, container20 has an outer enclosure 22, a body 24 having recesses 26 for receivingthe body of a conventional wine bottle, and a top 34 having recesses 36for receiving the neck or finish of a conventional wine bottle.Container 20 preferably is a conventional box. Body 26 may be formed ofany material, such as expanded foam, pressed paperboard, and the like.Container 20 preferably is sized to securely hold and cushion severalbottles, and also encompasses sizes for holding a case of bottles, ormore.

FIG. 1 illustrates container 20 in its open position with top 34 pivotedopen to enable access to bottle body recesses 26 for loading winebottles (not shown in the figures) therein. To load, wine bottles may beinserted into recesses 26 until the bottles are fully inserted.Preferably, the underside of container 20 includes cushioning orinsulation as needed. Upon loading of bottles into recesses 28, coldpacks 30 may be inserted into container 20. Preferably, cold packs 30have an approximate C-shape such that cold pack 30 can be engaged withthe small dimension of body 24 defined between recesses 26. The quantityand size of cold packs 30 may be determined by process conditions andgoals. Upon loading bottles into recesses 26, top 34 may be placed overthe necks or finishes of the bottles such that the upper end of thebottles extend into recesses 36.

Due to the fact that wine can be damaged by both high and lowtemperatures, it is necessary to maintain temperatures within theacceptable range. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) melt and freeze attemperatures other than water. In this application, PCMs that phasechange in the 10 to 24 degree Celsius range are ideal. The particularcomposition and structure of cold packs 30 may be determined byconventional methods, as will be understood by persons familiar withphase change materials and heat transfer technology.

Preferably, container 20 has thermal insulation between the wine bottlecompartment and the ambient atmosphere (that is, the area outside ofcontainer 20) and a cold pack 30 that are configured to maintain thewine bottle compartment between 40 and 80 degrees F. for up to 72 hoursafter release from a refrigerated atmosphere into an ambient atmosphereat a temperature of 110 degrees F. More preferably, the insulation andcold pack are configured to maintain the wine bottle compartment between45 degrees and 65 degrees for up to 72 hours, and most preferablybetween 45 degrees and 65 degrees for between 24 and 48 hours at ambienttemperature of 100 degrees F.

A person familiar with packaging technology will understand the choicesof thermal insulating materials and configurations, cushioning to avoiddamage during transport, and phase change material technology to providevarious configurations of containers. The particular configuration anddesign choices will vary according to the number of wine bottles andtheir size, the desired maximum wine temperature, expected ambientconditions, and the like. Accordingly, the present invention encompassesany configuration of the container.

The thermal characteristics of container 20 enable a system and methodof wine transport in which plural wine containers 20, each containingone more bottles of wine, are transported from their origin, such as awinery or warehouse, by refrigerated truck to an intermediate location.The refrigerated truck may be a commercial truck, a truck owned by thewinery or merchant, an overnight courier, such as United Parcel Serviceor Federal Express, or from any other source. The intermediate locationmay be a cold storage warehouse or a non-refrigerated warehouse, such asa warehouse of an overnight carrier.

After the plural containers 20 are delivered to the intermediatelocation, the containers 20 may be loaded onto unrefrigerated trucks,such as those operated by overnight carriers, for delivery to the enduser, such a residence, a wine wholesaler, or a wine retailer. The term“intermediate location” also encompasses the unrefrigerated trucksthemselves, such that the present invention encompasses loading theunrefrigerated trucks directly from the refrigerated trucks.

The thermal characteristics of containers 20 enable the use of thewidespread system of overnight carriers to deliver wine from theintermediate locations to the end recipients. The inventors recognizedthat shipping wine has the particular problem that an adult must takedelivery. Accordingly, the thermal properties of containers 20 arechosen to keep the wine below a recommended temperature in the event ofa first unsuccessful attempt to deliver the wine to the intendedrecipient.

The above disclosure describes preferred methods and structure, but isnot intended to be limiting. For example, a particular structure of acontainer is disclosed. The present invention is not limited to theparticular structure or function of the container described above. Thepresent invention encompasses a foam or paperboard body having openingsforming layers for receiving phase change materials. The presentinvention is defined by the claims, and broadly encompasses variationsthat flow naturally from the disclosure.

1. A method of controlling temperature of a plurality of wine shipmentsduring transport, comprising the steps of: a. packaging bottled wine ina plurality of packaging systems, each packaging system including (i) acompartment for holding the bottled wine, (ii) thermal insulationbetween the wine bottle compartment and the ambient atmosphere, and(iii) a cold pack, wherein the packaging system is adapted to maintainthe wine bottle compartment between 40 and 80 degrees F. for up to 72hours after release from release of the refrigerated container wherelocal temperatures are 110 degrees F. or less; b. transporting theplurality of packaging systems by a refrigerated truck to anintermediate location; and c. after the transporting step b.,transporting the wine in the packaging system by un-refrigerated trucksto predetermined end recipients.
 2. The method of claim 1 whereby theinsulation and cold pack are capable of maintaining the wine below apredetermined temperature for one unsuccessful delivery cycle by theunrefrigerated truck.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the end recipientis a residence, a wine wholesaler, or a wine retailer.
 4. The method ofclaim 2 wherein the packaging system is adapted to maintain the winebottle compartment between 45 degrees and 65 degrees.
 5. The method ofclaim 2 wherein the packaging system is adapted to maintain the winebottle compartment between 45 degrees and 65 degrees for between 24 and48 hours.
 6. The method of claim 2 wherein the unrefrigerated truck isan overnight carrier.
 7. A system for controlling temperature of aplurality of wine shipments during transport, comprising: a plurality ofpackaging system, each packaging system including (i) a compartment forholding the bottled wine, (ii) thermal insulation between the winebottle compartment and the ambient atmosphere, and (iii) a cold pack,wherein the packaging system is adapted to maintain the wine bottlecompartment between 40 and 80 degrees F. for up to 72 hours afterrelease from release of the refrigerated container where localtemperatures are 110 degrees F. or less; a refrigerated truck fortransporting the plurality of packaging systems to an intermediatelocation; and an unrefrigerated truck for transporting the packagingsystems to predetermined end recipients.
 8. The system of claim 7whereby the insulation and cold pack are capable of maintaining the winebelow a predetermined temperature for one unsuccessful delivery cycle bythe unrefrigerated truck.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein the endrecipient is a residence, a wine wholesaler, or a wine retailer.
 10. Thesystem of claim 8 wherein the packaging system is adapted to maintainthe wine bottle compartment between 45 degrees and 65 degrees.
 11. Thesystem of claim 8 wherein the packaging system is adapted to maintainthe wine bottle compartment between 45 degrees and 65 degrees forbetween 24 and 48 hours.
 12. The system of claim 8 wherein theunrefrigerated truck is an overnight carrier.